Well HELLO there!! It’s good to be back! I hope your Thanksgiving week was wonderful – ours was so crazy busy but awesome. We spent four days in Disney World (our new favorite place) and it was just so fun and magical. We were sad to leave but got back in time to host Thanksgiving for the family. Then a couple days later we hosted again to find out that my sister is having a baby GIRL!! If you’ve read along here for a while now you know her better as Stink Eye. ;) I can’t wait to have another niece and I’m so thrilled for my baby sis.

Sooooo…after all that I was finally able to tackle some Christmas decorating! I feel so behind every. single. year. But I’m determined to just relax and enjoy the process. I’m joining Bee’s “Welcome to the Season” blogging tour today – if you’re coming from my girl Cassie’s place at Hi Sugarplum, hello! This tour of Christmas vignettes was a great chance to tackle a spot I’ve been excited to decorate.

Many of you have commented on our newish étagère (so fancy!) in the kitchen. Here’s how it looked earlier on in our recent renovation, before the new doors, paint and trim:

I got that beauty from Joss and Main earlier this year and I LOVE it. The best part is I had some credits so I got it for $40! Whoot!! (I can’t find it on their site anymore but I did find it on Overstock here.)

I knew from the moment I got it that it would look adorable at Christmas, so I was excited to work on it. The thing is, like everything else in our house – it has to be functional for us as well as pretty. So I dressed up what was already there and then added some more Christmas touches.

I was determined to use what I had on hand and I did pretty good. I only spent a few bucks. ;) I pulled out some of my scrapbook supplies that I don’t scrapbook with to make some cute tags:

And hung them with my baker’s twine (last year at the Target dollar spot!) from our dog and cat food containers:

Their food tray usually sits under the étagère so it’s nice to have the food so close by. :)

I found this tree slice for a few bucks at a local thrift sale a few weeks ago and decided to give it a chalkboard treatment:

I planned to write on it but then came up with a better idea. I hung one of my small boxwood wreaths from it, then drilled a hole in the back of an ornament:

I got the ornament at Hobby Lobby back in August when the Christmas was already out. ;) I think it was maybe $4 (on sale).

I hung the reindeer head inside the wreath and hello…cuteness!:

I love it!!

I filled the basket on the top shelf with faux greenery and some birch logs:

The only money I spent on this display was for that little garland on the basket. Those are little decorative tags ($4 and I have a ton more) I picked up at Target last night – I just strung them on my baker’s twine. :)

I love my vintage pitchers:

I filled them with cuttings from our trees outside. I use a ton of real cuttings this time of year. If you don’t have evergreens I bet someone you know does! They add so much life and color to Christmas displays and they are FREE.

I did have three of these pitchers…till last night when our obnoxious cat knocked the large one off the table. I don’t get upset when he breaks other stuff (and it happens a lot), but this one killed me. Killed. I loved that set!

FREE CAT.

Anyway, onto the next shelf. My cheese dome turned cloche just has some greenery inside, and my deer head above looks cute with our favorite Christmas mugs from my Grandma:

The bottom half is the most functional for us – the copper bowl was from a thrift store and it holds the dogs sweaters and leash and other little things like pencils and erasers for homework:

The white tray is a Goodwill find I spray painted years ago and the basket holds our mail and papers. I go through it every few months weeks.

I absolutely LOVE how it all came together!! It’s just precious:

This piece is the perfect thing for that spot. The finish on the metal isn’t quite black and the shelves are all gray. It goes great with the new family room and fireplace next door. :)

And I love having a pretty spot for things that we grab everyday:

Pay no attention to the wonky baseboards or the crown that needs to be finished, umkay? I didn’t finish the base there because it will eventually just run straight across the window seat. :)

Here’s what this area looked like a few months ago, before the new doors, paint and trim:

And here’s what it looks like now:

Still more work to do but it’s almost there!! I LOVE how this whole space is coming together!

And I love that our home is starting to look a little like Christmas:

Be sure to check out the other holiday vignettes along the tour – our host Bee from Wingate Lane is next!:

Have you started decorating for Christmas? Every year I say I’ll have it done by the first and that NEVER happens – especially after a week like last week! It will all get done though and I’m enjoying it. :)

Oh, and the monthly before and after party will be held on Wednesday this week! So be sure to link up or check out the projects then!